The Winner

Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) will represent Florida’s 21st Congressional District for a sixth term after beating Democrat James Martin) and independent Alexander Cooke. The Associated Press called the race for Mast on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, WPTV reported. ​

With about 99% of the expected vote counted, Mast has 53.9% to Martin’s 44.7% and Cooke’s 1.3%, a margin of about 9 points, according to NBC News results. That’s down from 2024, when Mast beat Democrat Thomas Witkop 61.8% to 38.2%.

The Race

Martin, a 34-year-old Coast Guard veteran from Hobe Sound, won the Tuesday, Aug. 18 Democratic primary over Port St. Lucie firefighter Bernard Taylor by less than 1 point. Mast had no primary opponent. Cooke, a former Juno Beach mayor, ran with no party affiliation.

Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia’s race page. Martin narrowly carried St. Lucie County, but Mast won Martin County with about 63% of the vote, according to NBC.

This was the first election under the congressional map Florida’s Legislature redrew this year. The 21st stayed largely the same, but its Palm Beach County lines shifted west of Florida’s Turnpike to take in more undeveloped land and fewer eastern suburbs, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported. The district covers all of Martin and St. Lucie counties, including Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce and Stuart, plus northeastern Palm Beach County.

About 812,000 people live in the district, and the median age is about 48. The typical household earns about $82,200 a year, and about 36% of adults hold at least a bachelor’s degree. Unemployment is about 5%, and about 11% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Mast’s sixth term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, 2027. Florida’s Elections Canvassing Commission is scheduled to certify the results on Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to the state’s election timeline.

In an Oct. 29 interview with WPBF, Mast said his priorities include building the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee and working on the lake’s next management plan. The reservoir would store and clean lake water and send it south, so less of it gets released into the St. Lucie River, where those releases have fed toxic algae blooms.

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